Abstract
Objectives. This correlational study investigated the relationship between competitive anxiety and shoulder injuries in a sample of club rugby players (N=112) from two universities and three suburban clubs. Methods. The participants were asked to complete a biographical questionnaire and the Sport Competition Anxiety Test,1 while the injury history of the players for the 2012 season was obtained from the responsible health professions after consent was given. Group differences and a direct logistical regression were calculated to determine the relationship between injury and anxiety. Results. The results indicated that rugby players who contracted a shoulder injury in a 1-year season have significantly higher levels of anxiety than those players who did not. However, the effect size of the difference seems to be small. The anxiety levels of players with shoulder injuries were regarded as too high when competing. A logistical regression, including various factors, was able to predict injury fairly well, but anxiety seems to be the only variable that contributed significantly to the model. Conclusion. The results suggest that the contribution of anxiety to the occurrence of shoulder injuries in club and university rugby cannot be ignored. The high level of anxiety associated with players who suffered shoulder injuries has to be targeted with anxiety management skills as part of a player development and injury management programme.
Highlights
The results indicated that rugby players who contracted a shoulder injury in a 1-year season have significantly higher levels of anxiety than those players who did not
The results further indicated that in a large proportion of players (81%) a first shoulder injury is followed by a second shoulder injury
The results capsulated the costly effect of shoulder injuries among university and club rugby players
Summary
This correlational study investigated the relationship between competitive anxiety and shoulder injuries in a sample of club rugby players (N=112) from two universities and three suburban clubs. The role of psychological factors such as anxiety is largely neglected, except for studies exploring the role of worry and stress in rugby injury.[3] The rising occurrence rate of injuries in both professional and club rugby has posed a major challenge which has to be dealt with,[4] at the South African university and club levels.[5] Many coaches and talent scouts place much focus on the above abilities and promote programmes to develop bigger, physically stronger, faster and more talented players who can excel in their sport.[6] these programmes utilised for rugby players at university and club level did not provide adequate emphasis on the prevention and treatment management of previous injuries.[6] As a result, injuries at university and club level may continue to increase unless preventive methods that are suited for the game of rugby are implemented.[7] Because it is a contact sport, rugby poses a high risk for injury.[8]. A number of factors were considered, such as injury history, strength and conditioning history, pre-habilitation adherence (pre-injury treatment programme), mechanism of injury and expected return date
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